J.Lo
"J.Lo" is Jennifer's second album released on January 23, 2001 on Epic Records. The album has a more urban vibe than her debut album and focuses mainly on part R&B, part pop, and part Latin music. On July 24, 2001 (on Jennifer's 32nd birthday), "J.Lo" was re-released with the Murder Remix of "I'm Real" featuring rapper Ja Rule as a bonus track. The re-released album also came with a "Parental Advisory" label warning although the standard album version did not feature one despite the uses of strong language and sexual content in a few of the songs (specificially in the songs "I'm Real," "Play," and "Come Over.") along with the use of racial slurs and strong language in the "I'm Real" Murder Remix bonus track. As of May 2011, "J.Lo" is Jennifer's only album to have a "Parental Advisory" label on it. Album Background In April of 2000, MTV News reported that Jennifer (who had completed filming a romantic-comedy film entitled "The Wedding Planner") would begin recording her second album after completing filming another film entitled "Angel Eyes." In August of that same year, Jennifer told LaunchCast that the album would be called "My Passionate Journey" and stated that she would hopefully have the album out by October. It was also reported that Jennifer's then-boyfriend Sean Combs (who co-produced some of the tracks on Jennifer's debut album "On the 6") would be contributing to the album and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (who produced Jennifer's song "If You Had My Love") would also be working on the album as well. In August of 2000, Jennifer reported that the album was set to be released in November with the first single scheduled to be released in late September. Jennifer later decided to rename the album from "The Passionate Journey" to "J.Lo" which was a nickname that her fans called her on the streets since the start of her career. Jennifer titled the album "J.Lo" as a homage to her fans. According to Jennifer: "My fans call me J.Lo. Giving the album this title is my way of telling them that this is for them in appreciation of their support." Several artists would later follow with this trend such as Janet Jackson for her 2004 album "Damita Jo" and Mariah Carey with her 2005 album "The Emancipation of Mimi." Prior to the album's release, Jennifer knew it was important to "stay fresh" wanting to innovate the music industry. Jennifer made the decision to tweak her public image, dying her hair and changing her stage name to "J.Lo." She had more creative control over "J.Lo" than on her debut album, explaining that "I really felt like this time it was even more mine." During the release of the album, Jennifer began to transition into a sex symbol. Previously, she had been vocal in living her life while also acknowledging her responsiblity as a role model. She stated: "I mean, I feel like you can't take on the responsibility of the world, you know? I think it's destructive ... You start thinking, Oh God, I have to do this or do that. You have to live your life. I don't do drugs, I don't drink or smoke or do anything like that. So, those are the type of things that people like in role models: 'Oh, you can't be human.' You are human." Album Release and Promotion The album's lead single, "Love Don't Cost a Thing", was included on the soundtrack of Jennifer's 2001 film, "The Wedding Planner." The song topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. "Play" was released as the second single. It was less successful than "Love Don't Cost a Thing", having managed a peak position of #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was well-received in the in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland. The third single released, "Ain't It Funny", failed to chart in the United States although reached the top ten in the UK. "I'm Real", the album's final commercial single released in the United States, peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as reaching the top ten in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Album Reception & Performance "J.Lo" received generally mixed reviews upon its release. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated about the album: "Essentially, this is the same album as "On the 6," only a little longer with a little less focus and not as many memorable songs. This lack of winning singles becomes a drag, since at over an hour, the record meanders much longer than it should. ... meander isn't really the right word, because the album sets its tone from the start." Entertainment Weekly gave "J.Lo" a "C" minus and commented on Jennifer's vocals stating: "There's no way to know if Jennifer Lopez's voice is mechanically altered or not, but on the recorded evidence of her sophomore album, J.Lo, her singing seems to be in key" ''and also said: "Our gal consistently aims for the lowest common denominator, shamelessly spouting disco era banalities ... on several dance tracks, and cooing about L U V and S E X everywhere else." Christian Ward of "NME" gave the album negative reviews, describing Jennifer to "''a market between, like, Janet Jackson and Gloria Estefan." Despite the reviews, "J.Lo" debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard's Top R&B\Hip-Hop Albums chart which grossed over 272,000 copies sold during in its opening week. During that same week, Jennifer's movie, "The Wedding Planner" topped the box office, making Jennifer the first singer\actress to have a #1 album and film in the same week. Certification The album was first certified gold by the RIAA on February 28, 2001, denoting 500,000 units shipped within the United States. That same day, the album's certification was raised to Platinum, denoting 1,000,000 units shipped. 7 months later, "J.Lo" was certified multi-platinum on August 3, 2001 and then certified triple platinum on November 2, 2001. Two years later, it was again certified 4× Multi-Platinum on October 31, 2003. Tracklisting # Love Don't Cost a Thing-(written by Damon Sharpe, Greg Lawson, Georgette Franklin, Jeremy Monroe, and Amil Harris; produced by Anders Bagge and Arnthor Birgisson)-3:42 # I'm Real-(written by L.E.S, Cory Rooney, Jennifer Lopez, and Troy Oliver; produced by Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver)-4:58 # Play-(written by Cory Rooney, Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson, and Christina Milian; produced by Anders Bagge and Arnthor Birgisson)-3:32 #Walking on Sunshine-(written by Sean Combs, Jennifer Lopez, Mario Winans, Jack Knight, and Michael "Lo" Jones; produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Cory Rooney, and Mario Winans)-3:46 # Ain't It Funny-(written by Cory Rooney and Jennifer Lopez; produced by Cory Rooney)-4:06 # Cariño-(written by Cory Rooney, Jennifer Lopez, Manny Benito, Neal Creque, Jose Sanchez, Frank Rodriguez, and Guillermo Edghill Jr; produced by Cory Rooney, Jose Sanchez, Frank Rodriguez, and Guillermo Edghill Jr.)-4:15 #Come Over-(written by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Mario Winans, Michelle Bell, and Kip Collins; produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Mario Winans, and Kip Collins)-4:54 #We Gotta Talk-(written by Cory Rooney, Jennifer Lopez, Troy Oliver, Tina Morrison, Steve Estiverne, and Joe Kelly; produced by Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver)-4:07 #That's Not Me-(written by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Mario Winans, and Kandice Love; produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Mario Winans)-4:33 #Dance With Me-(written by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Mario Winans, Jack Knight, and Michael "Lo" Jones; produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Mario Winans)-3:54 #Secretly-(written by Cory Rooney, Jennifer Lopez, Troy Oliver, and Kalilah Shakirl; produced by Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver)-4:25 # I'm Gonna Be Alright-(written by Cory Rooney, Jennifer Lopez, Troy Oliver, Ronald LaPread, Sylvia Robinson, Clifon Nathaniel Chase, Lorraine Cheryl Cook, Anthony Guy O'Brien, and Anthony Michael Wright; produced by Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver)-3:44 #That's The Way-(written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Nora Payne, and LaShawn Daniels; produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels)-3:53 #Dame (Touch Me)-Chayanne-(written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Manny Benito, and LaShawn Daniels; produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Manny Benito)-4:25 #Si Ya Se Acabó-(written and produced by Manny Benito, Jimmy Greco, and Ray Contreras)-3:37 #I'm Real Remix featuring Ja Rule-(written by Jennifer Lopez, Troy Oliver, Cory Rooney, L.E.S., Jeffrey "Ja Rule" Atkins, Irving Lorenzo, and Rick James; produced by Irv Gotti and 7 Aurelius)-4:21 -[re-release album edition track] #I'm Waiting [Japanese album edition track]-(4:18) #Pleasure is Mine [United Kingdom, Australian, and Portuguese album edition track]-(3:11) Personnel ﻿'Musicians' *Jennifer Lopez – lead vocalist *Karen Anderson – backing vocals *Michelle Bell – backing vocals *Manny Benito – backing vocals *Jeannie Cruz – backing vocals *William Dubal – backing vocals *Kip Collins – instrumentation *Angel Fernandez – guitar *Mario Gonzalez – guitar *Ricky Gonzalez – piano and backing vocals *Jimmy Greco – keyboards *Nelson Gasu Jaime – piano *Richie Jones – drums *Ozzie Melendez – trombone and horn *Christina Milian – backing vocals *Troy Oliver – instrumentation *Nora Payne - backing vocals *Erben Perez - bass *Lena Pérez - backing vocals *Paul Pesco - guitar *Cory Rooney – backing vocals *Shelene Thomas – backing vocals *Rene Toledo – guitar *Mario Winans – backing vocals *Yanko – backing vocals Production *Jennifer Lopez – executive producer *Arnthor Birgisson – producer *Scott Barnes – make-up *Manny Benito – engineer and producer *Jorge Calandrelli – string arrangements *Kip Collins – producer *Sean "Puffy" Combs – producer and mixing *Ray Contreras – producer and arranger *Angel Fernandez – arranger *Paul Foley – engineer *Jimmy Greco – producer, arranger, and drum programming *Dan Hetzel – engineer and mixing *Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing *Richie Jones – producer, arranger, mixing, and programming *Jack Knight – arranger *Matt Kormondy – production assistant *Greg Lawson – arranger and programming *Glen Marchese – engineer *Rob Martinez – production assistant *Tony Maserati – mixing *William Nelson – production assistant *Joel Numa – engineer and string engineer *Troy Oliver – producer, programming, drum programming, and keyboard programming *Michael Patterson – engineer and mixing *Julian Peploe – art direction and design *Cory Rooney – producer, executive producer, arranger, drum programming, and keyboard programming *José R. Sanchez – producer, programming, drum programming, and keyboard programming *Dave "Young Dave" Scheur – engineer *Dan Shea – producer, programming *Cesar Sogbe – mixing *Manelich Sotolong – assistant engineer *David Swope – engineer, assistant engineer, and mixing assistant *Michael Hart Thompson – photography *J.C. Ulloa – engineer *Rick Wake – producer, arranger *Mario Winans – producer and instrumentation *Joe Zee – stylist Album Chart Positions Album Certifications *Argentina (CAPIF): Gold\20,000x *Australia (ARIA): 2× Platinum\140,000 *Austria (IFPI Austria): Gold *Belgium (BEA): Platinum\50,000* *Brazil (ABPD): Gold\50,000* *Canada (Music Canada): 2× Platinum\200,000 *Finland (IFPI Finland): Gold 19,596 *France (SNEP): Gold\100,000 *Germany (BVMI): Platinum\300,000 *Greece (IFPI Greece): Gold\ 15,000 *Netherlands (NVPI): Platinum\80,000 *New Zealand (RIANZ): 2× Platinum 30,000 *Norway (IFPI Norway): Gold\25,000 *Poland (ZPAV): Gold\50,000 *Sweden (IFPI Sweden): Gold\40,000 *Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland): 2× Platinum\80,000x *United Kingdom (BPI): Platinum\300,000 *United States (RIAA): 4× Platinum\4,000,000 Gallery Jloalbum107.jpg Jloalbum106.jpg Jloalbum105.jpg Jloalbum104.jpg Jloalbum103.jpg Jloalbum102.jpg Jloalbum101.jpg Category:Albums Category:Jennifer Lopez Category:Music